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How to play Piano/Keyboard

C

Conflict

Banned
My little sisters have a electric keyboard (yamaha PSR-190 61 keys), anyways they play guitar too so I was wondering should I get them a how to play piano/read music book or a keyboard one? Because learning how to read music is important and learning how to play piano can be used on a keyboard am I right? I'm just a drummer so i don't know about this ^_^. thanks
 
Piano and keyboard are essentially the same thing.
Click to expand...
Don't make me come over there...
(😉)

For learning the basics and some light practice, a little Yamaha keyboard will be fine. It's always handy to be able to play a little piano if you're serious about music. It's also a really good way to learn to read sheet music.
 
Ahh but a nice concert grand piano has such a beautiful feel and response to it... keyboards I could never play very well since its all simply mechanical (most are not are not weighted, full 88 keys, or touch sensitive, but the ones that are work pretty nice)

I have a Yamaha Clavinova and I've recorded a few compositions (if you can call them that), just stuff I've made up on the fly. See what you think: http://www.sbyers.com/piano.htm

The ones I named Piano in E Flat and Piano in C are my favorite... I should write them down and polish them and give them real names but I have a lack of time. lol

 
I also have a clavinova at home to practice on. It can't compare to the feel of a real piano but it sounds quite nice and it's good for note-bashing.
 
Originally posted by: Woodchuck2000
Piano and keyboard are essentially the same thing.
Click to expand...
Don't make me come over there...
(😉)

For learning the basics and some light practice, a little Yamaha keyboard will be fine. It's always handy to be able to play a little piano if you're serious about music. It's also a really good way to learn to read sheet music.
Click to expand...

I'm sorry, i answered that in haste.

They're worlds aparts actually. But as far as the beginner student is concerned, the only benefit i see you getting from a real piano is stronger fingers and learning to use the damper. (You can always get a damper pedal for keyboards, but they aren't standard)
 
Woooooooooooohooooooooooooo! Stealth, that's a wonderful music you have in E flat. Oh my God! I now have it on my list of music, piano especially, for relaxation and soothing music. Can you become my personal classical music composer?

I haven't had the privilege to listen to the piece Piano in C, but I'm sure it's just as good as the E flat. Good job! 😉 And thanks for sharing. 😀
 
uhh, thanks. lol

Like I said its just a live recording of me composing on the spot, someday I'll polish it up.


The hymn arrangements are the same deal just playing as it comes to be but the recording is a slight bit distorted. My appologies.
 
Wow Stealth, that was nice. edit: duh... it says what model Clavinova you use right on your page 😛 The touch seems amazing. I'm impressed by your play and sensitivity. Wish that recording was a bit better though. Its a bit distorted and a little hard to discern. Anyways, I really enjoyed hearing it. I hope you keep working on it. 😀

btw I never did like the feel of keyboards either. I always liked heavy weighted keys though. Granted I haven't given any real time on the weighted key keyboards in the last 5 years, but nothing like the feel of those real hammers. All depends on the person and what they want and wish to do I guess. As keyboards/electric pianos get better and better, the differences seem to get smaller and smaller. I know many people who strictly play electronic piano but can jump on a grand like they'd been playing one all their lives (though it takes a minute to get used to the feel).

I haven't been able to really play piano in 10 years or so. I was trained for 15 years but I began to hate the pressure to play and quit playing all together. Now, I have a full set of drums, a few guitars, and an alto sax but I am beginning to miss the piano alot. Time to look for some nice weighted keyboards, since I live in apartments. I know many musician's but many of the keyboarders stick to keyboards, and piano players stick to pianos. So which model's do you recommend so I can get a direction? 🙂
 
Originally posted by: dakels
Wow Stealth, that was nice. Which model Clavinova? The touch seems amazing. I'm impressed by your play and sensitivity. Wish that recording was a bit better though. Its a bit distorted and a little hard to discern. Anyways, I really enjoyed hearing it. I hope you keep working on it. 😀

btw I never did like the feel of keyboards either. I always liked heavy weighted keys though. Granted I haven't given any real time on the weighted key keyboards in the last 5 years, but nothing like the feel of those real hammers. All depends on the person and what they want and wish to do I guess. As keyboards/electric pianos get better and better, the differences seem to get smaller and smaller. I know many people who strictly play electronic piano but can jump on a grand like they'd been playing one all their lives (though it takes a minute to get used to the feel).

I haven't been able to really play piano in 10 years or so. I was trained for 15 years but I began to hate the pressure to play and quit playing all together. Now, I have a full set of drums, a few guitars, and an alto sax but I am beginning to miss the piano alot. Time to look for some nice weighted keyboards, since I live in apartments. I know many musician's but many of the keyboarders stick to keyboards, and piano players stick to pianos. So which model's do you recommend so I can get a direction? 🙂
Click to expand...


I played piano and flute very seriously for over 10 years.

I was really missing playing the piano a few weeks ago, missing Christmas music actually! Since we too live in an apartment at the moment, a piano was not an option however a keyboard was...and so that's what Skoorb bought me for Christmas, a Yahama Keyboard, PSR-292. While it most certainly doens't feel like the real thing, I enjoy it immensely. Keyboards have come a long way in the last few years. They keys are touch sensitive so that if you bang them, the make more noise! I also have the pedals to go with it....🙂

Music is music. Therefore any music that can be played on the piano, can be played on the keyboard, provided there are enough keys! I use the very top and very bottom on my keyboard but I have never had cause to go beyond those.
 
there's a link to the product spec of page the Yamaha CLP860 which I use here: http://www.sbyers.com/piano.htm

That piano has 64 note polyphony, which sounds much better than the older models when it comes to just playing piano (not adding in background strings etc, if you do this each instrument is given part of the 64) and the graded hammer effect is pretty realistic, much heavier than most uprights and some grands, but not as heavy as I like (I love the 9 foot grand in the school auditorium but its valued at over 100 grand so I'll keep looking... lol)

I've found the direct outs I was using to record don't sound nearly as good as listening to in person, it seams to use the chamber, etc. with multiple speakers to reproduce a real piano sound


Just out of curiousity which recordings were distorted (I know the hymns were). I didn't hear any artifacts in the Piano in C and E Flat but perhaps I can make better recordings when I get home for Christmas.

 
Nice recordings, stealth1024.
I've got a Clavinova CVP-35 which I've been using for about 13 years now. It's quite nice and sounds convincingly like a piano. I've gone off it a bit recently though as I've spent the past few months practising on a Kawai upright piano which feels and sounds beautiful. An electric piano just doesnt feel as good 🙁

I'll have to find one of the newer clavinovas to play and see what the action is like...

 
anyone know where i could find a good used keyboard, weighted? i'm in the same predicament as many, in that i live in an apartment and can't have a real piano. as it is now, i only get to play on my mother's baby grand when i go home every 2-3 months.
 
Hey Triumph, I have a Casio that's nice... FOR ME TO POOP ON! 😛

Stealth: Does a 64 note polyphony sound that much better then a 32 note? I would assume thats a 16 part multitimbral? At that level, does this give you more complexity and depth to your notes or does it just allow for more sampling?

I like the sampling on your CLP 860. It mimics well the baby grand sound that it was recorded from. Unless I find a used one for a steal, I don't think I could shell out $2500-3000 for a new high end CLP. My budget at the moment is more like $1000 or less, especially considering I have to do about $500 worth of work on my drums and buying a cheap $300 nylon classical guitar (my Guild is torture!). As much as I wanted to avoid buying half decent model now and a better one later, I'm probably going to go that route. I don't want to wait 6-12 months to start playing. Even for under $500 I could get something to get my chops up.

I'm probably fishing for a used Roland, or maybe some new yamaha or Korg models around $500-1000, then maybe next year go for a CLP or the like. Only thing though, I can't detach the CLP's and put on a Z stand can I? Also, do you guys recommend buying accompanying speakers for the electric pianos? Do they have speaker line outs or should it go to a reciever/amp?

man you gotta love Yamaha. A company that makes both baddass motorcycles and concert pianos. 😛
 
o btw Stealth, sorry my mistake when I was listening to your recording. I listened thru the browser and it sounded pretty poor, like 22khz sampling, but when I downloaded it and played it on an MP3 player, it sounded much better. I see you sampled at 192kbps/44khz. Did you go straight to your computer? That CLP has a 2 channel line out right?

In my amateur opinion, and this is regarding the sound quality, not your play, it still sounds a tad flat to me, but for what it is and how it's done, its 10x more then I expected. It's lacking the pronunciation of the hammer. The lower chording sounds flat too and a bit mushy. Kinda blending together and lacking the individual string distinction. I listened to E and C and the reverb is a bit more then I would have liked. I would imagine that the brightness can be changed. I listened to the Praise God piece as well and I was getting a bit of some line noise and possibly some feedback? But really, I need to shut my pie hole cuz they sounded amazing for what it was. It was REALLY impressive, especially if it's just a line straight to the computer sound card. I am impressed by the whole thing. I want one now 😀
 
Sorry for the thread-jack Conflict

On your topic, I'd agree that learning to learn sheet music and piano is helpful for playing any intrument, especially if they want to start composing peicees later. Also being able to read sheet music can make you a much more flexible player and help you to understand your instrument better IMO. Also, any age is good. I started learning to read sheet music before I could read and write. Many singer/songwriters I know play a rough piano as well to aid with composition.
 
Originally posted by: Stealth1024
Ahh but a nice concert grand piano has such a beautiful feel and response to it... keyboards I could never play very well since its all simply mechanical (most are not are not weighted, full 88 keys, or touch sensitive, but the ones that are work pretty nice)

I have a Yamaha Clavinova and I've recorded a few compositions (if you can call them that), just stuff I've made up on the fly. See what you think: <a href="http://www.sbyers.com/piano.htm">http://www.sbyers.com/piano.htm</A>

The ones I named Piano in E Flat and Piano in C are my favorite... I should write them down and polish them and give them real names but I have a lack of time. lol
Click to expand...

You've got it backwards-pianos are mechanical, keyboards are electronic, computer-chip etc. That is, unless we're thinking of "mechanical" as two different things.

I'm downloading some of your music right now. 🙂 Stupid 56k connection, it's taking forever.
 
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